


Masquerade

by NordicGirl



Category: Life of the Party D&D (Web Series)
Genre: F/F, F/M, M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-04-30
Updated: 2020-10-29
Packaged: 2021-03-02 04:23:30
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,946
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23909152
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NordicGirl/pseuds/NordicGirl
Summary: The du Argentforts of Mirrortail is hosting a Masquerade when everything goes wrong. Mirrortail soon has a dead Queen, sick King and Heir, a distraught Prince and missing Prince, but how much of this is actually the truth?- AU, with bases in the original LOTP timelineMasquerade; Run and hide, but a face will still pursue you
Relationships: Cassian/Renard (Life of the Party)
Kudos: 17





	1. Swords and Sights

Vanden opened his eyes and sighed. The masquerade that his parents were going to be hosting was today, and he had to be there because “that is the proper thing to do as the prince of Mirrortail”. He sat up in bed and dragged his hands over his face as he looked out into his room. Based on the light coming through his windows there would be some time before the servants came over to give him his breakfast before he would be dressed in finery. He decided that he could get some more sleep before that happened so he layed back down under his soft duvet and closed his eyes as his head hit the pillow. He let out a sigh as he got ready to enter Morpheus’ realm when a hard knock rung out from his door. 

He opened his eyes as the door was opened and the stark figure of his Captain came into view. Captain Jocelyn D’Fabron, dressed in a white shirt slightly visible underneath a black jacket, her rapier hanging by her side. On her bottom were a pair of white trousers, neatly tucked in her black kneehigh boots. This was a normal outfit for Jocelyn if she was at the Palace and resting, but it also made Vanden realise that she was not going to allow him to go back asleep. “Still in bed Vanden?”, she asked, a slight smirk visible on her lips as she leant against the doorframe. 

He sighed and sat back up and sent her a glare. “what do you want Jocelyn?”, he asks grumpily as he props his arms on his legs and leans his head against his palm, still looking at her. She laughs and comes into his room, closing the door behind her as she makes her way over and pulls out the chair by his desk and sits down by the side of his bed. The smirk was still visible on her face as she looked at him before she reached forward and tousled his hair a bit before leaning back. 

“Your parents wanted me to get you out of bed so that you have no excuses for missing the Masquerade”, she says as she laughed at his pouty face. “Really Vanden, you have priorities to see to as a prince, no matter how much you might despise them”. He looked away from her and up at his ceiling with a sigh. He knew that Jocelyn would not allow him to skip his duties, so with a resigned sigh he looked back at her. “Fine, I am up, can you atleast leave the room so I can change?”, he asks sitting up further in his bed. Jocelyn shook her head fondly before standing up. Before leaving his room she stopped and turned towards him “I will be waiting at the training area Vanden, be there in 30 minutes”, she said before walking out, closing Vanden back inside his room. 

He closed his eyes and leant his head against his headboard and he allowed himself some time before he threw away his duvet and stood up. Stretching a little he walked over to his dresser and pulled out some clothes for a couple rounds in the training grounds. He took them with him between his screen wall and within a couple minutes he was dressed in dark trousers his regular boots, a simple shirt and a lightweight blue jacket that his mother had picked out for him, saying that it suited his complexion. 

He shook his head, a fond smile found its way to his lips as he quickly checked his hair in the mirror and fixed it and grabbing his rapier before leaving his room and proceeded to walk down the many, many corridors and stairs until he was by the kitchen. He knocked on the door and smiled at the kitchen servant as she opened it, but shook his head as she moved to curtsy for him. “What could we do for you, Your Highness?”, she asked as she showed him inside. 

He smiled and waved slightly at the rest as they either curtsied or bowed to him before looking at her again. “Just something quick to eat, Captain D’Fabron and I are going to train a little before the Masquerade, so I thought to come here to get us both something”, he said with a soft smile. The kitchen staff nodded to him as they started to pack some fruits and sandwiches into a basket along with some bottles of water and juice before giving it to him. 

He smiled and thanked them before walking out and towards the training area. On the way he pulled out an apple and started to eat it, shielding his eyes from the sun a little as he walked outside before making his way over to the training area. There he could see the figure of Jocelyn and the figure of another one trading blows with their rapiers glinting dangerously in the sunlight. He knew the other was Tristan and let a smirk settle on his lips. He stood by the side, leaning against a fence that slightly separated the training are from the rest of the castle grounds. 

When he saw that they were stopping, and knowing that no one were around, he let out a little cough, making both of them stare at him as he stayed leaning against the fence, the smirk incredibly visible on his lips. “What are you two lovebirds up to?”, he asked, making sure to look from one to the other. A slight flush gathered on both of their cheeks as they took a step away from each other. 

Lieutenant Tristan Bonnesier was a sun-kissed, brown haired man indescribable eyes. Vanden had not often looked into his eyes as deeply as Jocelyn had, but he had indeed seen the bright icy blue eyes that held so much knowledge, though that might have been due to his elvish heritage. He was currently dressed similar to Jocelyn, but his jacked was more of a soft blue than the stark black of Jocelyn’s. 

“Your Highness”, Tristan spoke as he bowed slightly to Vanden. He shook his head fondly and walked towards the two of them, basket in hand swinging softly by his side. There were a couple of benches with some tables in the area, useful for soldiers that needed a break after training or during training hours. He sat down and started to pull out different things from his basket, including a cloth, to lay on the table, and metal cups. He looked up as he started to pull out the food and raised an eyebrow. The two did a quick look around the area before they settled on the other bench by the table and offered Vanden a nod and smiles. 

Vanden laughed slightly to himself as he started to eat some of the bread and fruits that were in the basket. “I thought that you were asking me for some training time, and here I find you trading blows with Lieutenant Bonnesier”, he said with a playful voice. Jocelyn’s blush deepens a little, as does Tristan’s. He could just barely see that their arm facing the other was closer to the other’s arm than to their own bodies, so he knew that they were holding hands slightly under the table. He let a small smile onto his lips, seeing his two friends in a happy relationship, even if it had to be secret. 

They sat there for a while, just relaxing in each other’s presence and talking about how their week had been. Vanden was caught up on how the guard training was going with the new recruits and the other two got some news on Vanden’s lessons and the courtlife in Mirrortail. “I know that he is a bastard Vanden you don’t have to remind me, the way he parades around on his Guard Drake whilst the creature is bleeding from cuts and general wounds just shows that he has no care for other beings”, Jocelyn said, stabbing a piece of meat harshly with her fork. Tristan was clutching hard enough on his own fork to turn his knuckles white, whilst Vanden had put everything down and was holding his head in his hands. 

“Vanden?”, he head the soft voice of Jocelyn as he felt two soft, yet firm hands on his shoulders. Looking up his eyes met hers, and he could see Tristan’s worried face in his peripheral with his arm extended to have his hand on Vanden’s shoulder. Vanden took a second to collect himself before he offered the two of them a slight smile “I am fine, just a slight headache”, he said, though Jocelyn and Tristan did not seem to believe him, they did not say anything, knowing that Vanden did not like to talk about his problems.

They stayed there for a little longer until Tristan had to leave as he had a meeting with some of the other leaders within the Palace guard. He had a sudden moment of extreme braveness before he left and left a soft kiss on Jocelyn’s cheek before he bid farewell to both Prince and Captain. Vanden snickered at the light dusting of red that was now showing on his Captain’s cheeks, before they packed up and went over to the more open area to do some rounds of sparring. 

Blades sliding off each other, shrilling noises filling the area as the Captain and Commodore led each other in a deadly dance, sand and dust flying up and covering their feet making it seem as though their dance of death was making them levitate over the ground. The slight dripples of sweat that ran down the sides of their faces, the jackets they had worn were long since thrown to the side. Their rapiers glinted with a blinding light in the sunlight, but this did not seem to face either of the fighters.

They kept going for a couple hours, the sounds of blades hitting each other and feet moving on the sand is everything that can be heard in the area for the duration of time. At one point they both stopped, their rapiers still held up high in case the other attacked again, before they, with a mutual nod, both lowered their rapiers and sat down, their breathing slowing down as their bodies lost the adrenaline from the fight. 

“Thank you Jocelyn”, Vanden said as he leaned slightly back on his arms, both of them seated on the more sandy ground in the area. Jocelyn looked up, her eyes had previously been on her rapier looking it over just for a check, but her attention is now on Vanden. She smiles a little “You are not the only one not overly fond of Balls, especially Masquerades”, she said as she leaned back on her arms, her gaze moving to look at the birds flying in the sky. 

Vanden laughed a little and nodded “I presume that you and the Lieutenant will be in the Ballroom with some other guards to ensure that order is held, if someone becomes overly intoxicated”, he said, his gaze also going to the sky as they spend some time there, just relaxing. Jocelyn nodded softly “The guards will stand along the wall, whilst Bonnesier and I are going to stay relatively close to your family”, she said, looking over at him and seeing the sunlight shine and reflect in his hair. 

They stayed there for a little longer before they heard the door out to the training area open and they both looked over to see one of the guards. They both stood up and brushed off the sand and dust that had settled on their clothes. The guard stopped in front of them and saluted the two. “Yes Osdrem”, Jocelyn said as he came closer to the duo. “Commodore, Captain, they are requesting you inside to oversee the preparations for the Masquerade and to get ready for the guests’ arrival”,

The two nodded to him “Thank you Osdrem, we will be in soon”, Vanden said and Osdrem saluted them again before leaving the same way he came. Vanden and Jocelyn spent a little more time in the sun before gathering up their jackets and the basket, which Jocelyn took, before leaving the training area. 

Neither of them had noticed the figure up in the castle that had watched them until they moved back inside the Palace and the figure left the window.


	2. Brothers and Bonds

Walking back inside Jocelyn and Vanden quickly separated with them each going to their rooms, with Joss taking a slight detour to the main kitchen to give back the basket and to thank them for the food. Vanden, even though he knew that he should wash up and get ready, but as he walked through the corridor to his room, he saw that the door to his brother’s room was slightly open so he decided to check up on him, knowing fully well that Theun would have both closed and locked his door if he wanted privacy. He still knocked on the door and peeked in. 

There was Theun, sitting at his desk with a stack of books, which Vanden knew to be Astronomy and Astrology books, beside him whilst he was looking at a map of the stars, one of his own that he had spent hours upon hours mapping himself. People were usually shocked to learn that one of the du Argentfort sons was a follower of Sehanine, but Vanden could care less which deity his brother followed so long as he was happy with his choice. 

Theun had not looked up from his work when he knocked, so he sneaked in and silently closed the door behind him before slowly making his way over to his brother. He was so close now that he could look over his brother’s shoulder to view his papers. A myriad of stars and constellations were dotted and drawn out on the various pieces of paper, along with the bigger one centered on the middle of the desk. 

Two books that Vanden had not seen earlier were opened, but leaned more against the back of the desk. In one book he saw some star constellations and moon phases illustrating the book’s margins and knew that it was one of the couple books his brother owned that was centered around Sehanine. He did however wonder why his brother was looking at a chapter that supposedly told about how to read past, present and future based on the stars and moon. 

The other book showed images of clouds, stars and a figure that looked to be falling. Vanden did not know that his brother had either bought or found a book about dreams and how to understand the meaning behind them, he knew this because some of the words were similar to some said in a talk he had with Lockwood about one of his weirder dreams. 

Theun leaned forward and took off his glasses to rub the bridge of his nose, a clear sign that he was tired and needed a break. Vanden had no clue how long his brother had spent at his desk looking at the various maps and books, but knowing his brother it had been a couple of hours. He decided that he would bring his brother out of his thoughts by announcing his presence with a simple cough. Theun jumped a little in his chair before turning to look at him. A smile settled on his lips when he saw his youngest brother “Good Morning Vanden”, he said as he turned slightly to look directly at his brother. 

Crown Prince Theun du Argentfort was the oldest brother and a good couple years older than Vanden, but the two of them had the closest bond out of the three du Argentfort brothers. A large amount of Vanden’s happy memories were the times spent with his brother either reading or listening to his brother read. This had been more common when he was younger, but they still tried to make time for it. They could read anything, from science and educational books to romance and fantasy, which were their favourite genres. 

One of Vanden’s favourite books was Ospeian Nights, which was a collection of Ospeian folktales that were told in the overarching story of a woman, Shaziya, telling a story to a king that never ended, because when it ended she would die. These types of stories had been his absolute favourite when he was younger due to Theun reading it whilst trying to make voices for every character in it. 

“Good morning, found anything interesting in those books?”, Vanden asked as he let his eyes have a closer look over some of the notes and texts that his brother had. Theun laughed as he dragged his fingers through his red locks. “Nothing yet, there is something about it that I cannot understand”, he said, and it was obvious that it was weighing a little on him. 

Vanden offered him a look of understanding as he noticed the imprint of his brother’s glasses on his nose which let him know that Theun had been sitting here for a couple hours. “How about you take a break and relax a little before the Masquerade, and after maybe your books and thoughts will make sense?”, he asked as he let his eyes wander around the familiar room. 

Theun looked up at his brother and nodded to himself before he stood up from his desk. Quickly and meticulously he placed his notes and books into neat organized piles and places around his desk and on the shelves close by. He placed his glasses back on his face before looking at Vanden. Whilst he had grown, Vanden was still the smallest of the brothers, but he did hold more muscle mass than himself and Mattijn. 

“Speaking of the Masquerade, remember that Mattijn will not be joining us as he has to see to some treaties and trades with Arakhis”, he said as they walked out of his room. Vanden nodded his head “What was their departure time again?”, he asked as they entered his room. 

“They are scheduled to leave in one hour, so he should either be finishing packing for the travel or he has already finished and is looking through his books”, Theun stated as he sat down in one of the comfortable chairs with Vanden sitting in the other one. “Have mother and father mentioned seeing him off before he leaves?”, Vanden asked as he leaned back into the soft seat. 

Theun leaned back and nodded his head slightly “They mentioned it, but I do not know if they want to see him off from the docks”, he said. Vanden nodded, their father always had royal business to deal with and this caused him to dislike leaving the Palace for even the shortest of periods. 

The two brothers sat there, talking about different matters, especially the ECC, the East Caldera Company, and the recent spike in pirate activity around Farrelstadt. They both knew that Farrelstadt would help with taking down the pirates if they were a big problem to the economy and trade, but were more resistant if the pirates were more active around other towns and cities. 

So the brothers sat there until a very timid knock sounded on their door. “Come in”, Vanden said as both looked towards the door. In came one of the guards. “Your Highnesses, I am here to inform you that Prince Mattijn will be leaving from the docks in 30 minutes”, the guard said as they stood there waiting slightly for their response. “Please ask the stable to have our horses readied”, Theun said and the guard nodded before leaving again. The brothers stood up from their chairs and followed the corridors down to the stables. 

There stood their horses, ready to ride and they easily got onto them. With a quick appreciative nod to the stable hands they rode out of the gate and down the main street to the docks. Some of the shops and houses they passed were old and Vanden knew for the most part who lived and worked where. 

One special one that caught his eye was Thiarin’s Trinkets and Tailoring, as he saw a dark skinned, short haired woman that was leaning against the wall writing something in a book as her gaze moved around the area, locking onto the various flowers, decor and people that were in the street. 

Their horses were fast and in a short time they were in the marketplace right by the docks. Descending from their horses and giving them over to the stable hands to keep calm and fed, they made their way over to the large ship that was being loaded with the last of its cargo. Most of the people around were either wearing the colours of the guard or generic white and grey, so they had no problem spotting Mattijn, as his red hair and navy blue doublet made him stand out in the crowd. It also made it easier that he was up on the boat, leaning on the banister. 

The two walked over to the boat side and laughed slightly that their brother had not noticed them at all. “Were you thinking of leaving without saying goodbye?”, Theun said and they watched their brother’s attention move to them. A slight smirk, a common sight on Mattijn’s face, settled on their brother’s lips as he leant away from the banister and walked down the gangplank and over to his brothers. 

“I was not sure if any of you would have time”, he said as he came to a stop by his brothers. Theun smirk-smiled as he looked at his brother “you honestly thought that we could not find the time to see you off?”, he asks as he shakes his head with a soft laugh. He stepped slightly forward and gave his brother a quick sideways hug before quickly stepping back again. Vanden and Mattijn looked at each other and quickly grabbed the other’s forearm and tightened their grip with a smile before letting go. Theun just stood there with a smile on his lips as he watched his brothers being kind to each other. 

“Vice Admiral”, a voice sounded from the ship and the trio looked up to see Captain Heelawin. She immediately straightened up and gave the trio the naval salute. “Apologies Vice Admiral, I was not aware that the Admiral and Commodore were here to see you off”, she said. Theun waved away her apology with a smile “No worries, just make sure to look after the Vice Admiral for us”, he said and playfully winked at Mattijn who rolled his eyes at his brother. 

Captain Heelawin gave him a curt and respectable nod as Mattijn looked up to her again “What was it Captain?”, he asked and Heelawin nodded to him. “I came to inform you that we have finished loading the boats and are ready to set sails for Arakhis”, she said. Mattijn nodded and Heelawin left to the helm and the brothers looked at each other again. “I will see you soon”, Mattijn said before all brothers gave the naval salute and Mattijn walked back up the gangplank. He did however stand at the closest edge and watched his brothers with a small, tight smile as they sailed away. Once the docks were far enough away, a smirk replaced the smile on his lips, and he spoke silent enough to only be heard by himself. 

“Or not”


End file.
